New data on arms transfers, Russia in the Arctic, death of the CFE treaty and more

Russia and the Arctic: an end to cooperation?

The recent increase in Russia’s military activities in the Arctic have raised concerns in the transatlantic community. Ekaterina Klimenko asks whether the Arctic can continue to be a ‘zone of peace and cooperation’ in the foreseeable future.

SIPRI welcomes new Director

New SIPRI data on international arms transfers

Launch event in Washington, D.C.
On 16 March SIPRI launched its data on transfers of major conventional weapons in 2014 via traditional media channels. An event, co-hosted by the Forum on the Arms Trade and the Stimson Center, was held in Washington, DC. This was the second of three data launches over the coming months ahead of the release of SIPRI Yearbook 2015.

Death of the 1990 CFE Treaty

Russia’s termination of its participation in the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) is a blow to the integrated system of arms control and confidence- and security-building measures that was put in place to reduce the risk of major armed conflict, even if its practical impact is limited, writes Ian Anthony in the latest SIPRI Expert Comment.

SIPRI at the Non-Proliferation Conference

At the upcoming Non-Proliferation Conference, Tariq Rauf, Director of SIPRI’s Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation will provide assessments and reports. The conference will convene at the United Nations from 27 April to 22 May. As part of SIPRI’s involvement with the NPT, SIPRI will be co-organizing a discussion with Margot Wallström, the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs (see upcoming events below).

Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman, Head of SIPRI’s Military Expenditures Project, will present SIPRI’s data on military expenditures in 2014 at an event co-hosted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, with the sponsorship of the Permanent Mission of Japan.

Seminar on nuclear disarmament and the upcoming NPT conference with the Swedish Foreign Minister

Ahead of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York in April and May, SIPRI in partnership with the Swedish MFA, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and the Swedish Network against Nuclear Weapons will host Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström and a distinguished panel to discuss prospects for progress at the upcoming NPT conference (the event will be in Swedish).

>> The launch of the new SIPRI data on international arms transfers has been covered by more than 2700 media outlets worldwide. Contact SIPRI Communications Director Stephanie Blenckner for a complete report.

Trends in international arms transfers, 2014

The United States has taken a firm lead as the major arms exporter globally, according to new data on international arms transfers published by SIPRI. Overall, the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons grew by 16 per cent between 2005–2009 and 2010–14.

The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database now contains information on all international transfers of major conventional weapons from 1950 to the end of 2014. It is the only publicly available resource providing consistent data on international arms transfers for this length of time. This Fact Sheet describes the trends in international arms transfers that are revealed by the new data. It lists the main suppliers and recipients for the period 2010–14 and describes the changes in regional trends.

Promoting crisis management in the East China Sea

Two intertwined territorial disputes in the East China Sea are currently unresolved between China and Japan. The first dispute concerns sovereignty issues regarding the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. The islands are administered by Japan but claimed by China. Japan does not recognize the existence of a territorial dispute. The second dispute concerns maritime delimitation in the East China Sea.

Four new SIPRI Policy Briefs shed light on aspects of crisis management in the East China Sea. The publications conclude a two-year project supported by the MacArthur Foundation that enabled SIPRI to host high-level maritime security dialogues in Stockholm with significant Chinese and Japanese participation.

SIPRI

SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources.